Bullet found on Poquoson school bus

POQUOSON — Police conducted an extensive search for bullets and weapons at three Poquoson schools Wednesday after a student found a bullet on a school bus.

Poquoson schools Superintendent Jennifer Parish said the student found a 9mm bullet wedged in a seat on the bus at around 8:15 a.m. while it was en route to Poquoson Elementary School on Poquoson Avenue.

Police searched the bus, but found no other bullets or weapons. A search of the book bags of the students who had been on the bus also turned up nothing. Police and school officials reviewed surveillance footage from a camera on the bus to see if it may have captured someone with a weapon or bullet but the footage showed nothing suspicious.

Because the bus also had earlier routes to Poquoson Middle and Poquoson High, Parish said, Poquoson police and Virginia State Police canine units searched the two schools for weapons. Police decided that a search of the elementary school was not needed since the students on the bus were searched before they entered the school.

"We wanted to make sure nothing had been carried into the school," Parish said.

No weapons or additional bullets were found at either school. Parish said classes continued during the search but students were held in class for a period of time while the search was conducted. Police finished the searches just before 2 p.m.

Parents with children at all Poquoson City Public Schools were notified of the incident on Wednesday through a telephone message.

Last week Queens Lake Middle School in York County was placed on lockdown after a single bullet was found on the floor. A search of that school also turned up nothing.

Parish said she didn't think the incident at Queens Lake Middle was related to the incident in Poquoson.

Police and school officials in Poquoson will continue the investigation into the origin of the bullet.

Poquoson Police Chief Cliff Bowen said police are asking any student who might have been a witness to come forward. Investigators will continue to review video footage from the school bus from previous days to look for any suspicious behavior.

Parish said it is important for parents to remind their children they cannot bring items like weapons or bullets to school "under any circumstance."